Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

In a flash, Lin Yun was in front of the two students. He grabbed one of them by the collar and demanded coldly, "Who is this Lan Xi you were just talking about? Where is she from?"

Because the news was about Lan Xi, the aura emanating from Lin Yun turned terrifying, and his eyes locked onto the student.

Overwhelmed by Lin Yun’s aura, the student swallowed hard and replied nervously, "I don’t know! I don’t know where Lan Xi is from! I just know that Teacher Chen has accepted her as a student in the Genius Class."

"You don’t know?" Hearing his answer, a faint killing intent surfaced in Lin Yun’s eyes.

Sensing Lin Yun’s killing intent, the student frantically explained, "I really don’t know! I’m just a student from the regular classes, how would I know about students in the Genius Class? I only heard about Lan Xi from others—I’ve never even seen her!"

Hearing this explanation, Lin Yun slowly released his grip. The student was likely telling the truth. Still, any news about Lan Xi was good news. Now, all he had to do was see her for himself.

HUFF... HUFF... ’What a psycho.’ Gasping for breath, the student cursed under his breath. Then, the two of them quickly fled, afraid Lin Yun would suddenly lose it again.

’As long as you’re in the Academy, I’m sure to find you, Lan Xi,’ he thought, his mood slowly calming.

Since the class placements had not been decided, Lin Yun and the others were still living in a temporary courtyard. They would only get proper rooms after the assignments were finalized tomorrow.

Throughout the night, the Trial Takers from the four commanderies were buzzing with excitement. Tomorrow’s placements would determine the course of their future. If they could get into the Elite Class, they would be set for life.

However, some had managed to find out that for people like them, who had no background, the chances of getting into the Elite Class were minuscule—typically only one or two out of every hundred.

There were two main reasons for such slim odds: first, background and family status, and second, personal strength.

As the saying goes, it takes wealth to pursue the martial path. The scions of Noble Families already had aptitudes no weaker than ordinary Martial Artists, and they also had access to High-Tier Martial Skills and Spirit Grass Elixirs.

With so many additional resources, the disciples of Noble Families were naturally stronger than common Martial Artists. Barring the exceptionally spoiled or talentless, they were almost certainly more powerful.

In their room, Lin Yun and Li Tian were calm, but Qin Feng was a bundle of nerves. The day of the placements had finally arrived, and he couldn’t sit still.

"Qin Feng, just take it easy," Li Tian said. "No need to get so worked up."

Lin Yun, on the other hand, wasn’t worried about the placements. ’With my strength and talent,’ he thought, ’even if I don’t get into the Genius Class, a spot in the Elite Class is a sure thing.’

He settled his mind and cultivated, and the night passed quickly. As dawn broke, the thousand new students in the courtyard were already eager and ready to go.

"An hour later, an Academy teacher arrived at the courtyard and shouted, ’Everyone, assemble at Martial Arts Training Ground Number One!’"

At his command, the crowd followed the teacher, marching in a great procession toward Martial Arts Training Ground Number One.

As they passed the section for the regular classes, they saw another crowd of a thousand or so people walking, except these people were headed in the opposite direction—out of the Academy.

"Those are the students from the regular classes who’ve been expelled. If you don’t get promoted within ten years, you’re kicked out of the Academy."

"So where do they go after leaving?"

"Some go home, others start wandering to seek their fortunes. But most of them join the army, hoping to maybe work their way up to a squad leader position."

"I have to get promoted! I can’t let myself be kicked out!"

Lin Yun watched the expelled students pass by. Every single one of them had a look of utter despair, as if they had nothing left to live for.

The two groups formed a stark contrast. The new students were flushed with excitement, while the departing upperclassmen were all crestfallen and dejected.

Upon arriving at Martial Arts Training Ground Number One, the crowd gathered on the vast central plaza. This training ground was designated for the disciples of the regular classes, and aside from its immense size, it had almost nothing to offer.

It lacked a Gathering Element Array, and the training rooms were pitifully crude. Besides some basic equipment for practicing punches and kicks, there was nothing but wide-open space.

After everyone had arrived at the training ground, about an hour passed before a dozen or so Qi Sea Realm Martial Artists appeared. Judging by their auras, the ten leading them were Martial Artists at the Ninth Layer of Qi Sea Realm, while the others were at the Seventh or Eighth Layer.

"Looks like those are the teachers for the Elite Class..." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Yeah. I wonder if there are any Primordial Ocean Realm experts here."

"Silence!" one of the Qi Sea Realm Martial Artists boomed.

He scanned the crowd, and once everyone fell silent, the Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist continued, "The assessment will now begin. It is very simple. To your left, there is an Array. You will enter it in groups of ten. The longer you can endure, the better your score. We will then assign your classes based on these results."

As the teacher finished speaking, a circular Array materialized to the crowd’s left. It looked plain and unremarkable, only about five or six square meters in size.

As the Array activated, the teacher who had led them there began calling out names. Those whose names were called entered the Array in sequence, forming groups of ten.

"AHH... I can’t take it anymore! This is horrible...’

"I feel like a mountain is crushing me..."

"It feels like I’m being cut by a hundred blades!"

Of the first group to enter, half of them scrambled out of the Array in less than ten seconds, stumbling and crawling. Their scores were finalized the moment they exited.

’What a powerful Array,’ Lin Yun thought. ’It generates immense pressure while also attacking one’s Mental Realm. It’s the perfect tool for class placement, as it objectively reveals everyone’s true strength. There’s no way to cheat inside.’

Ten groups went through in succession, and the longest anyone managed to hold on was a mere twenty seconds.

When the twelfth group was called, it was Qin Feng’s turn. The moment he stepped into the Array, he felt as if a mountain was crushing him. His legs began to shake, and he couldn’t even move a finger.

’Hold on... I have to hold on...’ Gritting his teeth, Qin Feng endured with every fiber of his being.

After twenty seconds, everyone else in Qin Feng’s group had failed. Only he remained, still enduring within the Array.

Thirty seconds... Thirty-five seconds... Forty seconds... Fifty seconds...

At the fifty-second mark, Qin Feng had bitten through his lip, and trickles of blood ran down the corner of his mouth.

Watching Qin Feng in the Array, one of the Elite Class teachers nodded. "Not bad. He’s met the standard for the Elite Class. This kid’s got something."

"Mm... he is quite good," another teacher remarked.

The Elite Class teachers all wore expressions of approval. High above in the sky, however, an old man was watching Qin Feng with a look of utter astonishment.

His eyes shone with a brilliant light; he was looking at Qin Feng as if he had just discovered a Supreme Treasure.